Hull Fills Big Hole at UC Santa Barbara
The Hull truth and nothing but, amazing as it sounds.
Mark Hull, freshman pre-law major at UC Santa Barbara, moves from the wing to power forward and leads the Gauchos out of a tailspin and into the Big West Conference first division.
Power forward? Anybody who saw Hull at Hoover High recalls a skinny 6-foot-6 scorer with a silky shot but little muscle.
However, Hull gained 15 pounds to 190 while redshirting last year. He’s not exactly Hulk Hogan, but he can bang enough to handle the position. In eight games, Hull is averaging 14.4 points and UCSB is 6-2 since the move.
Not that he was doing poorly at small forward. Hull has started every game, leads the team in minutes played, and averages 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. His 235 points is the sixth-highest total of any Gaucho freshman.
A 13-point, seven-rebound effort against Stanford in his first game gave him confidence.
“I knew I could play at this level after that game,” Hull said. “Since moving to power forward I’ve come away with a lot of bumps and bruises.
“But I think I’m reading defenses better, picking my spots where I can score against the bigger guy who is guarding me. I’ve gotten some outside shots when the other teams have gone zone against us.
“And when the big guy comes out on me, I can usually drive around him.”
The thought of Hull anchoring his lineup for three more years is pleasing to Coach Bob Williams, whose team is 12-12, 8-5 in the Big West.
“I’m a huge fan of quickness and Mark has to be as quick as any four-man in the league,” Williams said.
